Senators: Players caught trash-talking their own defence during Uber ride

Several Ottawa Senators players were caught on tape joking and trash-talking their team’s defence in a video posted online, adding another scandal to an organization that’s been riddled with them lately.

A video on a Postmedia outlet’s YouTube page shows Senators players talking about their ineffective penalty kill and mocking one of their coaches in what appears to be a recording from a camera mounted on the dash of an Uber driver’s van or SUV. There are seven players in the vehicle, including Matt Duchene, Chris Wideman, Chris Tierney and Thomas Chabot.

The team issued a statement late Monday night in which the players apologized.

“We want to apologize publicly to Marty Raymond, our teammates and coaches for our comments in Phoenix, Arizona on October 29,” read the statement emailed to The Canadian Press.

In the video, the Uber driver is heard asking what team the players play for and Wideman, seated in the passenger seat, replied: “Ottawa. If you can tell we’re really pleased with our....” A player seated in the middle row of the vehicle finishes his sentence: “with our PK.”

The players go on to mock assistant coach Martin Raymond, who handles the team’s penalty-killing unit, in the fiveminute clip that appears to have been recorded in the Phoenix area.

“Marty Raymond, the only coach in NHL history to have the worst power play and the worst PK within a calendar year,” Duchene said.

Duchene later adds that he “(hasn’t) paid attention in three weeks” in Raymond’s meetings.

“Here’s the other thing, too. We don’t change anything ever. So why do we even have a meeting?” he said.

The Senators are currently 29th in the eague in penalty killing at 68.8 per cent.

Uber’s website lists a lengthy section on privacy but does not specify if drivers record audio or video during rides.